IMPACTION OF THE RUMEN 49 



you is one of rumen impaction, you will hear this 

 grunt, either intermittently or regulaiiy. 



A second symptom which, if present with the grunt, 

 clinches the diagnosis is the deviation to the left ol' 

 the spinal column. Possibly it would be better to say 

 the apparent deviation to the left. Standing squarely 

 behind the cow,' it appears to the eye as though the 

 spinal column forms a curve to the left and upwards 

 in the lumbar region. This is so marked that the 

 farmer sometimes calls attention to it before you no- 

 tice it, saying, "She stands humped up to one side." 

 The more complete and extensive the impaction, the 

 more marked is this symptom. You may be called to 

 cases in which the grunt is heard from other causes, 

 and you may be called to cases which show this lateral 

 deviation of the spine from other causes. But, when- 

 ever you get a case of impaction of the rumen, you 

 will hear this "grunt"; and whenever you hear this 

 grunt and also see this deviation of the spinal column 

 to the left and upwards in the same cow, you can stake 

 your professional reputation on the diagnosis of impac- 

 tion of the rumen. 



The absence or the presence of peristaltic sounds are 

 not diagnostic. Even in some quite grave cases of 

 impaction, you will hear some such sounds if you have 

 a good ear and apply it over the rumen for a suffi- 

 cient length of time. The cardinal symptoms are the 

 grunt and the curve in the spine. When you have 

 made these out, you can satisfy your desire for fur- 

 ther confirmation of the correctness of your diagnosis 

 by noting the tension of the mass in the rumen, the 

 evidence of ileus, absence of eructations and regurgita- 

 tions, and so on. If the case is mild, the tempera- 

 ture is not far from normal; in a well marked ease 

 it usually stands around 104 degrees Fahrenheit. Good 



